Wicklow champs prove just too strong for St Brigid’s

AIB Leinster Junior ‘B’ Camogie Club Championship Final: Knockananna (Wicklow) 5-7, St Brigid’s 0-7

Five goals scored at crucial junctures – albeit a couple of them were preventable – proved all-important for Knockananna as they crushed St Brigid’s in last Saturday’s Leinster junior ‘B’ club camogie final at the Trinity Sports Ground in Santry, writes Gerry Buckley.

In particular, the well-supported Westmeath champions had no answer to the Wicklow’s side captain and centre half forward, Laura Hogan, who was a constant thorn in their defence over the hour-plus.

A strong crossfield wind marginally favoured Knockananna in the first half, but it was St Brigid’s who took the lead when Lisa Cully converted a 35-metre free after 70 seconds.

Some three minutes later, the girls in green and gold went into a lead they never looked like relinquishing when Sarah Byrne cut in from the left wing and duly found the net.

Cully doubled her tally from placed balls in the eighth minute, but the winners dominated the remainder of the second quarter and scored an unanswered four points therein – two from Hogan, and one each from Ciara Byrne (after a fine catch) and Rachel Byrne (a free). Surprisingly, a water break was called, at which stage Knockananna led by 1-4 to 0-2.

When play resumed, an Emily Hadden free led to a soft goal from Hogan. Róisín Byrne added a point before a rare St Brigid’s attack was repulsed and Hogan pointed at the end of an immediate counterattack. The same player raised another white flag in the 28th minute at the end of a patient move.

Cully was wide from a 45-metre free to round off the first moiety, leaving Knockananna ahead by 2-7 to 0-2 at the interval.

A little over a minute into the second half, a kicked effort from Jo-hanna Maher was narrowly wide. Cully converted a brace of frees to give the girls in saffron and white a glimmer of hope, but a preventable goal from the stick of Rachel Byrne opened up a 12-point gap in the 40th minute.

The hard-working Ava Balfe soon registered the losers’ only score from play, but that girl Hogan showed her class again by cleverly flicking the sliotar to the net at the end of a pass from Shannagh Goetelen. Knockananna led by 4-7 to 0-5 at the second water break.

In the 53rd minute, Goetelen was again the provider, this time for Rachel Byrne’s second goal.

To their great credit, St Brigid’s never threw in the towel and they rounded off match scoring with two more successful frees from Cully – the second via the crossbar – sandwiched between which the same girl’s effort to blast a goal from a close-range free was thwarted.

Scorers – Knockananna: L Hogan 2-4, Rachel Byrne 2-1 (0-1f), S Byrne 1-0 each, Róisín Byrne and C Byrne 0-1 each. St Brigid’s: L Cully 0-6f, A Balfe 0-1.

Knockananna: Loretta Mutton; Dervla Byrne, Áine Byrne, Alice Mulhall; Emily Mulhall, Emily Hadden, Eimear O’Sullivan; Jessie Byrne, Aimee Maher; Shannagh Goetelen, Laura Hogan, Róisín Byrne; Ciara Byrne, Rachel Byrne, Sarah Byrne. Subs used: Eimear Mutton for O’Sullivan (45), Aobha Harmon for S Byrne (45), Siobhán Mulhall for Róisín Byrne (60), Niamh Byrne for A Mulhall (60).

St Brigid’s: Emma Flood; Eleanor O’Connor, Dawn Wallace, Aoife Moran; Jo-hanna Maher, Karen McDermott, Aoife Brady; Fiona Coyle, Lisa Cully; Cliona Gallagher, Shannon Lyons, Niamh Carey; Rebecca Dunne, Ava Balfe, Jenny Judge. Subs used: Emer Hanlon for Dunne (41), Sinéad Hanlon for Judge (53), Chloe Flood for Moran (60 + 1), Jean Kelly for O’Connor (60 + 1).

Ref: Ray Kelly (Kildare).